Sins on Sunday are allowed. At least this one is!

Steamed Sticky Toffee Sultana Pudding, with Salted Caramel Sauce 

 

 

Now I know that everybody and his or her uncle is on a diet right now.  I am, but you know and I know that if you’re going to make a real difference, it has to be a lifestyle change not just for January!  And so in my case I’m resisting booze for a month and for the next three months I’ve given up; bread, milk, eggs, cheese, butter, red meat and potatoes, but not forever and not on Sundays!  Just until my belly gets smaller and my stomach gets used to being full on less.  And I’m taking at least an hour of exercise each weekday.  Roll on “Stick Insect.”

OK end of Sunday sermon, because now I’m going to tell you about your Sunday sin!  A diet sin is OK so long as it is a planned part of your new regime, not just a relapse, Oh ‘sod it’, I’ll start again on Monday is not good don’t do it!  Plan your sins, have what you fancy once or twice a week!  In my case it’s a “Full English” on Saturday and if they’re on offer some roast spuds with my Sunday lunch.  So today I’m going to help you make today’s delicious sin;

Steamed Sticky Toffee Sultana Pudding, with Salted Caramel Sauce

As well as the ingredients, you’ll need:-

Patience and planning.  This dish takes around 30 minutes to make, but around three hours to cook, but it really is worth the wait.  Watch your guest’s faces as they lick their spoons and wonder if they could possibly fit “seconds” in!

• Silicone kitchen paper

• Aluminium Foil

• Pudding Basin (1Litre)

• Large Mixing Bowl

• Electric Mixer

• Large Pan for steaming

• Food Processor and a variety of spoons and jugs.

 

Ingredients and Method

Sticky Toffee Sultana Pudding Mixture

 
200g stoned dates
100gm golden sultana
1 tbsp vanilla essence
50g/ soft butte
175g brown sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
200gm self raising flour
2 eggs
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Salty Caramel Sauce

200ml double cream

100g butter

175g brown sugar

1 dessert spoon water

1 tsp coarse sea salt

Method - Pudding

First

·        Get ready by half filling the large saucepan with water and bringing it to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Carefully put a saucer in the bottom before the water boils.  The saucer makes certain that the base of the pudding basin is always immersed in water and never touches the bottom of the pan directly.

·         Prepare the pudding basin by greasing it with runny butter. Add some of the brown sugar and shake it about until the inside of the basin is coated in sugar.  Throw out the excess

Then

·         Put the the dates and half the sultanas in a jug and scald with boiling water for five minutes.  Then tip out all but 100ml of the water and “blitz” them in a blender or food processor until they’re not quite a paste and you can still make out a few small’ish lumps on the mixture.  Add the vanilla essence and give one more ‘whizz.’

 

·         Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl, with the electric whisk until smooth.

·         Add the golden syrup, flour, eggs, bicarbonate of soda the blended dates and the rest of the sultanas. Stir gently until thoroughly mixed.

·         Pour the mixture into the prepared basin. Make a circle of silicone paper about 10cm larger than the diameter of the basin, butter one side.  Put it on top of the basin, butter side down and tuck the edges under the rim of the basin as well as you can. Next put a circle of aluminium foil on top of the silicone paper and fold the edges over the side of the pudding basin in a pleat.  And if you haven’t got a special lidded pudding basin, like mine, then tie the foil to the basin with a couple of turns of string.  Make a good tight knot and then loop the string so as to make a handle to lift the pudding out, later.

·         Put the basin into the saucepan of simmering water. Put the lid on the pan and control the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for three hours!  Remember not to let the pan boil dry!

Method – Salty Caramel Sauce

 

·         Put a pan over a low heat add the dessert spoonful of water and the salt.  Wait for the salt to dissolve.

·         Add the sugar, stirring all the time until the water, salt, sugar mixture is well mixed. 

·         Add the butter stirring continuously until the mixture starts to froth.  Remove from the heat and test it by putting a drop of the mixture on to a cold saucer.  If it hardens, it is ready, if not cook for a little longer.  Take care not to burn the mixture – it will taste dreadful.  If you do, start again.

·         When the mixture is ready, add the cream, stirring all the time until you get a lovely thick creamy sauce.  It looks like the top layer of a ‘Mars’ Bar, but runnier.

·         Take the pudding from the pan, carefully, take off the lids then put a serving plate on top of the basin, invert it and wait.  The pudding will slowly ‘plop’ down on to the pate and be ready to eat!  Dress the pud with a little of the sauce and serve in individual portions.  Put a jug of extra sauce on the table from which people can help themselves – they will!

·         Serve with Ice cream or crème fraiche!

OK folks – that’s it for today.  Remember though, no more sins until next Sunday!